Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid live score, updates, highlights from La Liga Sunday match

After discovering their road to the Champions League knockout stage will be an arduous one, Barcelona return to the pitch on Sunday hoping to further enhance their La Liga form as they host newly-promoted Real Valladolid at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona were slotted into the clear "Group of Death" in the 2022/23 Champions League alongside Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. The Blaugrana, therefore, will look to improve form quickly before the group stage begins in early September.

The Catalan club were held to a scoreless draw in the season's opening match before improving marginally in the subsequent 4-1 win over Real Sociedad. The first half against La Real served to further highlight Barcelona's deficiencies, but the introduction of Ansu Fati early in the second-half proved vital to a turnaround. Barcelona deployed fringe players in a midweek charity friendly against Manchester City that ended in a 3-3 draw.

Meanwhile, Valladolid were blasted by Villarreal 3-0 in their first fixture back in the Spanish top-flight, but they managed a turnaround with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sevilla in Matchweek 2. The club is owned by former Brazilian international Ronaldo, who purchased a 51 per cent stake in the club in 2018.

MORE: Barcelona drawn in Champions League Group of Death alongside Bayern, Inter

The Sporting News will be following the match live and providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.

Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid live updates, highlights, commentary

79th min: Busquets off to save the 34-year-old's legs, with new Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie on.

72nd min: Chance, Barcelona! The hosts, seemingly insulted that Valladolid would look to blemish the clean sheet, attempt to punish the visitors for their insolence. Lewandowski finds Ansu Fati one-on-one down the left, and he cuts into the middle and tests Masip from the penalty spot. It's a good save, but a poor attempt from Fati who should have scored, but struck it right at the goalkeeper.

69th min: Chance, Valladolid! A triple save from Barcelona to keep Valladolid out! It's by far the visitors' best attack, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen is there to hold the clean sheet, with help from his defensive line. The German is first required to save from a tight angle down the Valladolid left, and Oscar Plano's follow-up is blocked heroically on the line by Kounde. Ter Stegen is required again moments later to stop a third effort, this one from deep via Mesa.

65th min: GOAL, BARCELONA! This one's done and dusted, and it's Robert Lewandowski again, on the double for the second week in a row.

Barca's third is created down the right with Dembele, and the Frenchman slips another incredible pass in to Lewandowski. The Polish striker produces an utterly spectacular finish, creatively backheeling the ball through the defender's legs and inside the far post. Incredible stuff.

61st min: Barcelona make their first substitutions. Raphinha comes off for Ansu Fati, Araujo comes off for Sergi Roberto, and Gavi is withdrawn for Frenkie de Jong. The introduction of Roberto will likely see him move to right-back, with Kounde moving to center-back.

57th min: The substitutions for Valladolid have afforded the visitors more time on the ball and calmness in possession, but it has hardly neutered Barcelona's attack. The Blaugrana are still finding themselves raiding the Valladolid penalty area often, although to no effect yet here in the second half.

46th min: To get the second half started, Valladolid have made a pair of substitutions to try and change the tide. Monchu is withdrawn, as captain Roque Mesa is introduced. Oscar Plano is also brought on, in place of Aguado.

HALFTIME: Barcelona 2-0 Real Valladolid

It's the conclusion of a 45-minute onslaught from Barcelona, with the visitors lucky to be trailing by just two.

45+3 min: In the best chance for Valladolid of the first half, just moments before the break, Guardiola comes very close to meeting a cross at the back post. Instead, Eric Garcia comes flying in to produce a safety-first header over the end line to concede a corner. The set-piece comes to nothing.

43rd min: GOAL, BARCELONA! Play has been restarted as both players appear to be fit to continue. Barcelona go right back to peppering the Valladolid 18-yard-box, and immediately they double the lead. Ousmane Dembele, switched to the right, cuts inside at the top of the penalty area and slices through the defense with a brilliant square cut pass. Pedri, making the streaking run, meets it and blasts the ball into the back of the net.

39th min: There's a significant delay as Valladolid's central defenders are involved in a friendly-fire clash of heads. Both are down as the referee immediately stops play and gestures vociferously for the medical staff to enter the pitch.

35th min: Barcelona continue to probe for a second as the visitors can barely hang on. A bevy of crosses from each flank continue to pepper the Valladolid penalty area. Dembele takes a shot from the top of the box but it's saved by Masip.

24th min: GOAL, BARCELONA! The hosts have been deserving of an opening goal, and it's finally arrived thanks to the talisman Robert Lewandowski, who opens his Camp Nou account. The delivery came from the right and Raphinha, who curled one to perfection, and the Polish star met it at the far post. Perfectly crafted opener.

22nd min: Barcelona hit the frame again, as Lewandowski squares to Dembele for a shot from the left-hand edge of the penalty area. It clatters the top-left corner, although it never truly felt like it had a chance. The hosts are continuing to search for the opening goal.

17th min: Barcelona are probing down both flanks, and it has generated a bevy of early corners, up to 6 of them already for the hosts. Still no breakthrough.

12th min: Chance, Barcelona! How did that stay out?!?!?! The hosts have had the lion's share of attacking possession, but it hadn't really produced much until 12 minutes in and it's a mystery how the ball doesn't end up in the back of the net.

1st min: The match is under way at the Camp Nou! Looks like Kounde is actually playing at right-back, with Ronald Araujo at center-back alongside Eric Garcia. Interesting move by Xavi, with Sergino Dest still frozen out.

Pre-Match: Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid (kickoff at 7:30pm local CEST)

15 mins to kick: Barcelona have won 14 of the last 15 meetings with Real Valladolid, with just a 1-0 league defeat in 2014 as the only blemish. It will take a heroic effort for the newly-promoted side to buck that trend today!

26 mins to kick: Barcelona midfielder Gavi, still just 18 years old, will reach a half-century of Spanish top flight appearances today. Quite the accomplishment.
30 mins to kick: Barcelona Femeni star Alexia Putellas is presented to fans after winning UEFA Best Female Player of the Year award during the Champions League draw on Thursday. She's still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the run-up to the Euro 2022.